Smoky Lake fishing: Muskellunge, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout

Target species: Muskellunge, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Cisco, Lake Trout, Brown Trout
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Smoky Lake Ramp.

The lake

Smoky Lake covers 593 acres in Michigan, across Iron County. It is a lake: 92.4% of it is 42 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 60 feet (18.3 m). Our records hold 6 species for this water. 4% of the water lies in Wisconsin.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 60 ft (18.3 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 92.4% of the water is 42 feet or shallower. We hold 71 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–3 ft: 4.2% of the water
  • 3–6 ft: 7.5% of the water
  • 6–9 ft: 7.6% of the water
  • 9–12 ft: 7% of the water
  • 12–15 ft: 7.6% of the water
  • 15–18 ft: 8.2% of the water
  • 18–21 ft: 7.5% of the water
  • 21–24 ft: 6.8% of the water
  • 24–27 ft: 6.8% of the water
  • 27–30 ft: 5.7% of the water
  • 30–33 ft: 5.8% of the water
  • 33–36 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 36–39 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 39–42 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 42–45 ft: 4.5% of the water
  • 45–48 ft: 2.3% of the water
  • 48–51 ft: 0.8% of the water
  • 51–54 ft: 0.2% of the water

6 target fish, led by Muskellunge

  • Muskellunge — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Rainbow Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
  • Brook Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
  • Cisco — Feeding water: 40–60°F.
  • Lake Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
  • Brown Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 64°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 32°F and the warmest is 76°F; the warmest monthly average is 74°F. These readings span 2017–2025.

Stocking: 156,352 fish, 1979–2005

Michigan DNR records list 156,352 fish released into this water from 1979 to 2005. The latest stocking on record is from 2005, more than three years ago.

  • Lake Trout: 24,745 in 1984–2005
  • Brook Trout: 15,000 in 1979
  • Brown Trout: 7,500 in 1989
  • Rainbow Trout: 7,249 in 2004
  • Muskellunge: 5,558 in 1993–2005

One more species on the stocking list.

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 boat ramp.

  • Smoky Lake Ramp — Town Of Phelps, Town of Phelps. phone 715-545-2270

The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

What is hard here

Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish. Winter water drops to 33°F, and the warm-water species stop feeding well before you do.

Where this data comes from

  • Michigan EGLE — Michigan EGLE: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.